How to Ask for Work Flexibility During Your Annual Review

Have an annual review coming up? Instead of fearing the meeting with your boss, perhaps this is the year to make it work in your favor and ask for work flexibility. Save

Within the next month or two, most workers will face that most dreaded of annual events: the performance appraisal. But instead of fearing the meeting with your boss, perhaps this is the year to make it work in your favor.

If you’ve previously considered asking to work from home on occasion or to shift your hours to avoid a horrific commute, you may have struggled with finding the right time to broach the subject. Your annual appraisal should be all about you, and it’s at a time that’s already set. Perfect!

When asking for flex, it’s helpful to point to your past successes, organizational abilities, self-motivation, and work ethic to show that you can handle the kind of change you’re seeking. During your yearly review, you’re already going to talk about those things, so again, it’s an ideal fit for a flexwork discussion.

Just because the timing is right, however, doesn’t mean your request is guaranteed quick and easy approval. You still need to prepare and make a good case. Here are some suggestions to help.

Be specific.

Consider exactly what kind of flexibility you want, and why. Jot down a few notes to help you remember this when it’s time to make your request. Also be clear about how flex will help your boss, your team, and the company as a whole. Specificity is important, as it will help your manager know you’ve got a reasonable plan and aren’t simply trying to escape the office for a day each week.

Do your research.

Look into your company’s policies related to flexwork, and make sure your request fits within what’s allowed. If your organization doesn’t have a flexible work policy, research what other companies in your industry make available to their employees, and base your plan on that. Find facts and figures related to productivity and efficiency to help you build your argument.

Prepare a presentation.

This doesn’t have to be as formal as a deck of slides, but if you want to go that route, it probably wouldn’t hurt. Consider what you know about your boss and how they prefer to hear about new ideas, then tailor your pitch accordingly. Remember that you may have only a few minutes during your appraisal time to get your point across, so be clear and concise.

Practice in advance.

Ask a trusted colleague or family member to listen to your plan and presentation. Seek honest feedback about your ideas. Are you specific enough? Are you backing up your request with data? Are you speaking with confidence? Use the advice you get to further hone your work flexibility request.

Choose your moment.

Once you’re in the appraisal meeting, you’ll need to judge what time is best to turn the topic of the discussion to flex. If you’re paying attention, you’ll probably know the right moment, perhaps during the transition from a hopefully glowing review of your past successes to planning for future goals. Since flexibility will help you achieve those goals, it’s the right opportunity to dive in.

Emphasize communication and accountability.

Your ability to communicate with your teammates and work effectively with them will be vital to your success as a flex worker. Make sure you clarify this with your manager. “Reassure your boss and colleagues that you’ll still be ‘connected’ and available even if you’re working remotely,” says an article from BioSpace. “Lay out exactly when and how you’ll communicate your progress or collaborate while you’re out of the office.”

Propose a test.

This is always a good idea when you’re requesting flexwork. “A manager may initially be reluctant, so propose a two-month trial period,” suggests an article from Care.com. “Work together to set goals and to give your manager the tools they need to measure performance. It’s likely things will go really well, and you can make your arrangement more permanent at the end of two months.”

Following these guidelines won’t guarantee success, so you should be prepared to deal with a “no.” If that is the answer you get, be gracious and start thinking about what you can do differently the next time you ask.